St Lucia

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Ports of Call

Introducing St Lucia

St Lucia is indeed a Caribbean dream: a small, lush tropical gem
of an island that is still relatively unknown and undeveloped,
although it does offer a good variety of accommodation for
tourists, including a few discreet resorts. St Lucia is one of the
Windward isles of the Lesser Antilles, situated midway down the
Eastern Caribbean chain between Martinique and St Vincent, just
north of Barbados. It is tiny - only 27 miles (43km) long and 14
miles (23km) wide - and shaped a bit like an avocado.

The volcanic island's main landmarks are the Pitons, two soaring
peaks on its southern coast that rise up from the sea and shelter a
magnificently dense rain forest, where wild orchids grow and
brilliantly-plumed tropical birds abound. The Creole people of the
island are as warm as the tropical climate, and visitors are
treated to plenty of smiles as they make the most of the island's
natural beauty and secluded golden beaches, where coral reefs
beckon snorkellers and scuba divers.

Most visitors are day-trippers who arrive on cruise liners at
the island's main port, Castries, and generally do little more than
shop for souvenirs. Those who have time to explore, however, are
enchanted by the walks, cycling trails and natural beauty spots on
the island, including the fascinating Soufriere volcano, with its
bubbling sulphur springs.

The island has been left with a distinct French flavour,
although its earliest colonists in the 17th century were British.
The colonial history of the island, first settled by Arawak Indians
around 200 AD, is a long saga of battles for control between the
French and British. Britain eventually won the war in 1814, and
granted independence under the Commonwealth to St Lucia in
1979.

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